FASTEST Way to Learn Web Development and ACTUALLY Get a Job

Summary

This video script is a comprehensive guide for aspiring web developers, emphasizing that knowing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript alone isn't enough in today's tech landscape. It advises against spending excessive time on initial learning and instead promotes hands-on practice with W3Schools. The script introduces CSS frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS, and JavaScript frameworks like React and Angular, recommending practical tutorials and projects to build a strong portfolio. It also touches on backend development with Node.js and databases like MongoDB, and concludes with interview preparation tips for job applications.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript alone is not enough to become a sought-after Software Engineer due to the prevalence of frameworks and libraries.
• 🛠️ Understanding the difference between front-end, back-end, and full-stack development is crucial for deciding which path to take in web development.
• 🚀 To efficiently learn web development, focus on hands-on practice rather than spending excessive time on theoretical learning.
• 🎨 CSS frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS can simplify styling and reduce the amount of custom CSS needed.
• 🔍 Tailwind CSS is highlighted as a powerful tool for developers due to its ease of use, automatic removal of unused CSS, and comprehensive documentation.
• ⚙️ JavaScript frameworks such as React and Angular offer structured ways to build interactive web applications, with React being more beginner-friendly.
• 💻 Building a portfolio of projects is essential for demonstrating your skills to potential employers, but it's important to have a variety of projects to showcase.
• 📚 Node.js is recommended for back-end development due to its compatibility with JavaScript, making it easier for front-end developers to learn.
• 🔗 Learning Express and MongoDB together provides a streamlined approach to back-end development, allowing for efficient data handling and server interactions.
• 💡 The importance of interview preparation is emphasized, as it can be the deciding factor in getting a job, especially at larger companies.

Q & A

What is the common misconception the speaker addresses about learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript?

The speaker clarifies that a common misconception is that learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript alone will make one highly sought after by tech companies. However, they explain that few people write web apps with just these technologies due to the existence of many frameworks and tools that have become popular.

What are the three main frameworks for JavaScript mentioned in the script?

The script does not explicitly name the three JavaScript frameworks, but it implies that there are three widely popular ones that a beginner might consider learning.

How does the speaker suggest learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript efficiently?

The speaker recommends using W3Schools for hands-on learning, where one can run code directly in the browser. They suggest completing exercises up to certain points: HTML graphics for HTML, CSS grid for CSS, and JS HTML DOM for JavaScript.

What are the two CSS frameworks discussed in the script, and what are their main differences?

The two CSS frameworks discussed are Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS. Bootstrap comes with pre-built components, which can lead to websites looking similar and less control over the website's appearance. Tailwind CSS, on the other hand, offers more control, is easy to use, and automatically removes unused CSS, making websites lighter and faster.

Why does the speaker prefer Tailwind CSS over Bootstrap?

The speaker prefers Tailwind CSS because it provides a good amount of control over the website's look and feel, is easy to use, and has excellent documentation. It also automatically removes unused CSS, which is an advantage over Bootstrap.

What is the recommended approach to learning React according to the script?

The recommended approach to learning React is by doing the official 'Intro to React' tutorial, which involves building a 'tic-tac-toe' game. This hands-on approach is favored over learning concepts step by step.

What are the two popular JavaScript frameworks discussed for improving the JavaScript workflow?

The two popular JavaScript frameworks discussed are Angular and React. Angular is a full-fledged framework with strong opinions on how a website should be made, while React is a library that offers more flexibility and is easier to learn.

What is the significance of building a portfolio website in the context of web development?

Building a portfolio website is significant as it showcases one's work to potential employers. The script emphasizes that one should only create a portfolio website when they have enough projects to display, indicating a breadth of skills and experience.

Why does the speaker recommend learning Node.js for backend development?

The speaker recommends learning Node.js because it allows one to use JavaScript on the server side, which requires the least amount of effort if one already knows JavaScript. Additionally, Node.js is in high demand and is becoming increasingly popular.

What is the advice given for preparing for job interviews in the tech industry?

The advice given is to prepare for interviews by understanding the general preparation process, which includes watching a specific video mentioned in the script. This preparation is crucial for passing interviews at bigger companies, where specific questions are asked beyond just technical skills.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Understanding Web Development Basics

The speaker begins by dispelling the myth that learning just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is sufficient to become a sought-after software engineer. They explain that modern web development involves a variety of technologies beyond these basics. The paragraph introduces the concepts of front-end and back-end development, highlighting the roles of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in creating web applications. The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning efficiently and provides a roadmap for beginners to become employable web developers, including avoiding common mistakes and understanding the structure of a website.

05:01

🛠️ Enhancing CSS and JavaScript Workflow

This section focuses on improving the workflow for CSS and JavaScript. The speaker discusses the challenges of using plain CSS and vanilla JavaScript, such as the verbosity of CSS and the separation of HTML and JavaScript files. They introduce CSS frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS, with a preference for the latter due to its ease of use and automatic removal of unused CSS. For JavaScript, the speaker recommends using a framework to streamline the development process. They compare Angular and React, suggesting React as a more beginner-friendly option. The paragraph concludes with recommendations for practical learning through tutorials and projects, including building a tic-tac-toe game and an image gallery with React and Tailwind.

10:03

🔧 Backend Development and Interview Preparation

The final paragraph shifts the focus to backend development, where the speaker recommends learning Node.js with Express due to its compatibility with JavaScript and high demand. They explain the role of databases, introducing MongoDB as a NoSQL option. The speaker suggests building a project using Express and MongoDB to solidify understanding. The paragraph also addresses the importance of interview preparation, especially for roles at larger companies, and encourages viewers to watch a specific video for general interview preparation tips. The speaker concludes by advising viewers to build a portfolio of projects to showcase their skills to potential employers.

Keywords

💡HTML

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, which is the standard markup language for creating web pages and web applications. It is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, along with CSS and JavaScript. In the video, HTML is used to define the structure of web elements, such as a 'Sign in' button on Netflix, making it a foundational skill for front-end development.

💡CSS

CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in HTML or XML. It is used to style the look and formatting of web pages, including colors, layout, and fonts. The video discusses the challenges of CSS, such as its verbosity and difficulty in debugging, and introduces CSS frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS to simplify styling.

💡JavaScript

JavaScript is a high-level, often just-in-time compiled programming language that is also one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. It enables interactive web pages and is used to control the behavior of web pages, such as defining actions that occur when a button is clicked. The video emphasizes the importance of JavaScript in front-end development and introduces frameworks like React to streamline the development process.

💡Frameworks

In the context of web development, a framework refers to a platform that provides predefined functions to facilitate the development of applications. The video mentions JavaScript frameworks like React and Angular, which help developers build complex web applications more efficiently by providing structures and tools to manage code.

💡Tailwind CSS

Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that provides low-level utility classes to build custom designs without the need for traditional CSS. It is highlighted in the video as a preferred alternative to Bootstrap due to its flexibility and the automatic removal of unused CSS, which results in lighter and faster-loading websites.

💡Bootstrap

Bootstrap is a widely used free and open-source CSS framework. It contains CSS and JavaScript-based design templates for typography, forms, buttons, tables, navigation, modals, image carousels, and other interface components. The video discusses Bootstrap but suggests that it might lead to a lack of uniqueness in design due to its widespread use.

💡React

React, developed by Facebook, is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces, particularly for single-page applications. It allows developers to create reusable UI components and is known for its efficient update and rendering of components. The video recommends learning React through practical tutorials and building projects to solidify understanding.

💡Full Stack Development

Full stack development refers to the ability to work on both the front-end and back-end of an application. It involves a broad set of skills that allow developers to handle all aspects of web development. The video touches on the importance of full stack development, suggesting that proficiency in both areas can be highly valuable.

💡Node.js

Node.js, often referred to as Node, is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that allows developers to run JavaScript on the server side. It is highlighted in the video as a key technology for back-end development, especially when paired with JavaScript, as it allows for a seamless transition from front-end to back-end development.

💡Express

Express is a minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework that provides a robust set of features for web and mobile applications. It is used to handle routing, middleware, and other server-related functionalities. The video suggests learning Express as part of the back-end development process, particularly when working with Node.js.

💡MongoDB

MongoDB is a NoSQL database that stores data in a flexible, JSON-like format, making it easy to store and retrieve data for web applications. The video mentions MongoDB as a choice for back-end development, especially when paired with Express, to manage data storage and retrieval in web applications.

Highlights

Learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript alone is not enough to make one highly sought after in the tech industry.

Modern web development rarely uses vanilla HTML, CSS, or JavaScript due to the multitude of available technologies.

There are numerous ways to write CSS, and JavaScript has three widely popular frameworks.

Deciding which technology to learn is a common dilemma for beginners in web development.

Efficiently learning web development for free is a significant question for those starting out.

The video promises to provide answers to key questions and free resources for learning web development.

Understanding the basics of how a website works is crucial for web development.

Front-end development involves coding for what is seen in the browser, while back-end development involves server-side logic.

Mastering either front-end or back-end development can lead to job opportunities.

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the foundational technologies for front-end development.

A common mistake is spending too much time learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript theoretically.

W3Schools is recommended for hands-on learning of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

CSS frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS can simplify and expedite front-end development.

Tailwind CSS is favored for its ease of use, control over design, and automatic removal of unused CSS.

Learning by doing is emphasized over theoretical learning, especially in web development.

JavaScript frameworks like Angular and React are introduced as tools to improve the development workflow.

React is recommended for beginners due to its flexibility and ease of learning compared to Angular.

Building projects is essential for a strong portfolio, which is crucial for job applications.

Back-end development involves writing code for server operations, such as data storage and retrieval.

Node.js is recommended for back-end learning due to its compatibility with JavaScript and high demand.

Express is a popular library for back-end development with Node.js, simplifying server-side logic.

MongoDB, a NoSQL database, is introduced as an alternative to SQL databases for storing data.

Combining front-end and back-end skills is essential for full-stack development.

Interview preparation is crucial for job applications, especially for positions at larger companies.

Transcripts

As a naive beginner, I used to think that if I learn HTML, CSS and Javascript,

tech companies would fight over who wants to hire me as a Software Engineer.

In reality, I could not be more wrong.

That’s because in today’s day and age, very few people write web apps with vanilla

CSS or Javascript.

There are so many different ways to write CSS.

And for Javascript, we have 3 frameworks that are widely popular.

Knowing which of these technologies to learn is a problem that confuses many beginners.

Even if you figure out what technology you want to learn, there’s still one big question

that needs to be answered.

And that is, how do you learn everything efficiently for free?

By the end of this video, you’ll know the answer to all these questions.

Not only that, you will also have all the free resources that you need to go from an absolute

beginner to an employable Web developer.

On top of that, you will also know the 3 big mistakes that you need to avoid.

I will share these along the way.

Before we dive deep into different technologies, we need to understand how a website works.

At its core, a website is nothing but a bunch of files that are stored on a computer that

is called a server.

You can access these files on your computer using a browser like chrome or firefox.

Your browser sends the server a request to access these files using the internet.

Along with sending the files back, the server might choose to do other operations like storing

any useful information that came along with the request.

Server does this with the help of a Database.

If you are writing code for what you see in the browser, you are doing front end development.

And if you’re writing code for what the server does when it receives a request,

you are doing back end development.

And if you happen to work on both server and browser code, you are doing full stack development.

We’ll discuss both front end and back end development in this video.

But, you don’t have to know both to get a job.

Even if you master one of these, you are golden.

Let’s start with front end development.

As you might already know, HTML, CSS and Javascript are the basic building blocks of front end

development. To understand the role

of each of them, let’s take an example of this “Sign in” button

on Netflix.

HTML is what tells the browser that there’s going to be a button here.

CSS is used to define that button is going to be red and the color of the text is going

to be white.

Javascript tells the browser what action to perform when this button is clicked.

Now that you know what each of them does, let’s see what’s the best way to learn

them.

And this is where most beginners make their first big mistake.

They spend way too much time learning HTML, CSS and Javascript.

This is how most people learn Web development.

They get their first course on HTML and CSS which takes them anywhere between 6-10 hours.

And then they do a Javascript course which is another 10 hours.

Even worse, some of them buy these 64 hour Web Developer bootcamps.

At the end of spending tens of hours, they still can’t write a basic web app themselves.

To understand why this doesn’t work, imagine that you want to learn football and I feed

you hours and hours of footage of Ronaldo or Messi playing football.

Do you think you can become a professional football player by doing this?

Do you think this is how Ronaldo and Messi learnt to play football?

The only way to become better at your craft is by doing more and more of it.

So, we want to spend the minimum amount of time watching and more and more time doing.

To learn HTML, CSS and Javascript, go to W3 schools and do some hands-on learning.

W3 schools provides an interactive environment where you can run your code right there in

the browser.

Feel free to play with the code to learn faster.

For HTML, you want to go through all the exercises until HTML graphics.

For CSS, you want to cover everything until the CSS grid.

And for Javascript, you want to do everything until JS HTML DOM.

Once you’re done with the tutorial part, test your knowledge by doing the quiz and

exercises they have.

When you complete these basics, you’ll realize that CSS is very time consuming.

That’s because it’s very hard to debug.

With CSS, you’ll not get any error messages that will tell you what’s going wrong.

I can’t even calculate how many hours I spent trying to figure out why the header

doesn’t look the way I want.

Or why different components don’t align the way I intended.

Another problem with CSS is that it’s very verbose and the files can become unmanageable

very quickly.

That’s why you need a CSS framework that will ease your life.

There are many options here but I will only talk about 2 popular ones.

The first option is Bootstrap that comes with pre-built components.

For example you get all these headers out of the box for free.

But there are 2 major problems with using Bootstrap.

One, your website will look very similar to countless other websites that use Bootstrap.

Two, you would not have complete control over what your website looks like.

In theory, you can customize the components you get from Bootstrap but at that point,

you are again writing your own CSS.

A better option that I personally prefer is Tailwind CSS.

Tailwind CSS gives you a good amount of control over the look and feel of your website.

It’s unbelievably easy to use.

To be honest, when I used Tailwind CSS for the first time, I was questioning myself if

I needed to learn CSS before learning Tailwind.

Another advantage of using Tailwind is that it gets rid of all the unused CSS automatically

for you. As a result, your website is lighter and loads faster.

The best part about Tailwind however is its incredible documentation.

To learn Tailwind CSS, I want you to go to this documentation and get acquainted with

everything below Core Concepts.

You don’t need to remember anything.

Just need a general idea of how it works.

To learn by doing, go to the official Youtube channel of Tailwind labs and follow this video

where they build Instagram stories UI step by step.

This will give you a good feel of how powerful Tailwind is.

For every new concept in the video, read the documentation to learn more about the related things.

This is all the Tailwind CSS we’ll do for now.

Later in the video, we’ll come back to it when we build a big project using Tailwind

Now that we have found a better way to write CSS, let’s talk about how to improve

our Javascript workflow.

If you use Javascript that you have learnt so far to build a project, you’ll see that

HTML and Javascript live in separate files.

To update a component of your website, you’ll have to update multiple files.

This is the first problem with our current workflow.

Another problem with using just Javascript is that you’ll have to do a lot of manual

lookups of HTML elements if you need to update something on the Webpage.

To solve these issues, we will use a Javascript framework.

We have many options here but I will discuss 2 popular ones.

First option we have is Angular which is a full fledged framework.

It has a strong opinion about how a website should be made and is hard to learn for the beginners.

React on the other hand is a Javascript library which gives you a lot of flexibility and it

is a lot easier to learn.

Once you know Javascript, getting started with React is very easy.

Official documentation of React gives 2 ways of learning.

First one is “learning by doing” and the second one is “learning concepts step by

step”.

By now, you already know what we prefer on this channel.

We’ll choose the first path and dive head first by doing this official “Intro to React” tutorial where we build

a popular game called “tic-tac-toe”.

Once we complete this, we’ll also look at all the Main concepts of React.

Now that we have a good understanding of React, we will build some projects.

For that, go over to this video by Brad from Traversy Media. In this video, Brad builds a basic Image

Gallery using React and Tailwind.

Just FYI, he uses VS code as code editor.

So, make sure you have VS code set up before you start on this project.

Follow along with Brad to make sure you’re actually learning at every step.

After this, head over to this video by Sonny where he builds a Linkedin clone using React.

He will also introduce you to some new technologies like Redux and Firebase which will help you

level up your front end skills.

This channel is by far my favorite channel for web development.

If you have time, I recommend that you check out his other videos where he builds Hulu and Facebook

clones using NextJS.

NextJS is an improved version of React and if you already know React, Sonny would make

it very easy to follow along.

Now that you know front end development, it’s time to make your portfolio website and you’re

done. That's the second

big mistake most people make.

They don’t build enough projects.

Portfolio website is just to showcase your work and you should make it only when you

have enough projects to show.

Easiest way to do this is to take inspiration from Sonny’s channel and build clones of

some popular websites that you use.

Another way to do this would be to build websites to ease your daily life.

You can make a note taking web app or an app to track your workouts.

Choose these projects carefully because we’ll come back to these apps and add a backend

to them when we are done learning back end development.

In summary, show the hiring managers that you are capable of making working web apps and you’ll

automatically get preference over other candidates.

If what we have discussed so far is already a lot for you, you can stop here and keep

honing your skills until you become a full time front end developer.

If you’re still hungry to learn more, we can discuss back end development.

As I already mentioned, in backend development, you write code for the server so that it can

do operations like storing or deleting data or maybe calling some other server to get

some information.

For back-end development, you again have multiple choices.

You can learn Java with Spring or you can learn Python with Django.

These options have their own advantages and there's a reason that they exist.

Since we are interested in a fast route in this video, I would recommend learning Node

with Javascript.

The main reason for this is that since you have already learnt Javascript, learning Node

would require the least amount of effort.

At the same time, Node is very high in demand and is becoming more and more popular.

But what exactly is Node?

Before Node, you could run Javascript only in the browser.

Node is just a way to run Javascript on the server.

The actual logic or code of what to do would still be written in Javascript.

Node will just run that code for you on the server.

Just like in the front end, there are libraries that make it easier to write code for the

back end.

One of these popular libraries is called Express.

We’ll get into how to learn Express in a moment.

With the help of Express, we can decide

what will happen when a user connects to a particular particular path on our website.

For example, in the case of this website, “shopify.com” is the name of the website

and what comes after that is the path.

Among many things that you can do at a particular path, one option you have is to store the

data provided by the user.

That’s exactly what happens when you go and sign up to a website.

The website stores the information you provide in a Database.

There are many kinds of databases that you can use here.

The ones that store data in the form of a table are called SQL databases

and the ones that don’t use table format are called NoSQL databases.

In our case, we will learn a NoSQL database called MongoDB.

As you might have already observed from the discussion we had so far, writing backend

code and adding or updating information in your database goes hand in hand.

So, we will learn both Express and MongoDB together.

For that, go to this video by Traversy media and build an app using Express and MongoDB

from scratch.

Since we are learning directly by building, some of the concepts might not be clear at

the beginning. So, refer

to the documentation whenever you’re stuck and look up things online.

This is how you’ll do things when you become a Software Engineer.

So, learn this process early.

Now that we have seen how things work separately in the front end and the back end, let’s

bring it all together.

To do this, go and build a Whatsapp clone using this video by our friend Sonny.

This tutorial is beginner friendly and will take you through the entire process step by

step. Once you're

done with this, I want you to go back to the apps you built at the end of

learning front end development and add a back end to them.

By now, you have learnt all the skills you need, you’ve built a portfolio of projects

and you’re ready to apply for the jobs.

This is where people make their third very big mistake.

They don’t prepare for the interviews.

For smaller companies, you might be able to get in just through your skills.

But in bigger companies, on top of these skills, they ask you specific kinds of questions in

the interviews.

All the hard work that you put into learning Web Development might become useless if you

can’t pass these interviews.

For the interviews, you need to know the general preparation process.

For that, watch this video at the top.

I will see you in the next one.